International Social Science Research in Africa, Asia, and Latin America: A Multidisciplinary Seminar on Concept, Design, and Praxis

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1 International Social Science Research in Africa, Asia, and Latin America: A Multidisciplinary Seminar on Concept, Design, and Praxis SOC 890 (Sec 2) and ANP Fall 2014 First Seminar Meeting: Proposal Writing Workshop, August 28, :00-7:30 pm, International Center Third Floor Open to everyone. Regular Seminar: Thursdays 6:00-8:30 pm 201 International Center (beginning Sep 4) Description of seminar: This is a seminar for U.S. and international graduate students in the social sciences and related fields who are planning to conduct thesis, predissertation, or dissertation field research abroad, especially focused on Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Eurasia, and the Middle East. It also is useful for those who wish to incorporate social science methods to address international human issues that arise in research in applied/professional fields such as agriculture, resource development, communications, education, and health. Many graduates of this seminar have been successful in winning funding awards. All of the work of the seminar is designed to assist the candidate to write one or more successful funding proposals to obtain support for research abroad; therefore, the seminar begins with an initial 2.5 hour workshop on proposal writing for international research. The seminar focuses on three stages in planning, obtaining funding for, and conducting international field research: (1) The concept stage involves specifying a research topic, searching the literature for theoretical and methodological frameworks, identifying previous empirical research in the field, and developing a concept paper. The concept paper summarizes the initial ideas and framework for conducting the study as well as the motivations and competencies of the researcher to conduct the research. It can be replaced with a completed funding proposal. (2) The design stage is the stage in which the initial ideas articulated in the concept paper are expanded into the component sections that can be tailored into individual proposals for submission to national funding sources (Fulbrights, NSF, SSRC, Wenner-Gren, Spencer, Ford, and other sources). (3) The praxis stage involves preparing for and conducting research in the field. Throughout the seminar, participants prepare draft proposals, present them, and receive peer-review comment and assistance from seminar participants and the instructor. Enrollment: You may enroll for one to three credits, and the seminar requirements will vary accordingly. This seminar is regularly offered under the following seminar numbers:. SOC 890 Sec 02 - Individual Readings (Wiley) 1-3 credits - Obtain and return the completed enrollment form from the Sociology Department, 316 Berkey Hall (Tammy Spangler or John Duda) or online from D. Wiley (write: wiley@msu,edu). ANP 825 Anthropology Research Methods (Wiley) 3 credits Register on the Registrar s website.

2 If necessary, students also may enroll under the following independent-study or readings and research seminar listings in these six departments with instructors of record as indicated: AEC 890 Independent Study (Crawford) EC 895 Graduate Readings in Economics (Liedholm) GEO 890 Advanced Readings in Geography (Mehretu) HST 890 Independent Study (Hawthorne) PLS 993 Readings in Political Science (Bratton) ACR 890 (formerly RD 890) Independent Study (Bingen) Seminar meets on: Meets 6:00-8:15 pm in 201 International Center except on Aug 28.) August 28 (5:00-7:30 pm Third Floor 303 International Center) September 4, 11, 18, 25 October 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 November 6, 13, 20 (no class Nov. 27, Holiday) December 4 (last class of semester) December 12 All written assignments for the semester are due in final form. Normally, the first weeks of the seminar allot major time to reviewing student funding proposals due in September or early October. 2 Instructor: David Wiley, Department of Sociology 405 Berkey Hall, Tel: / ; fax: wiley@msu.edu Office hours: afternoons by appointment (phone David Wiley) Seminar Requirements: * * * * * One Credit: All students enrolled for one credit will be expected to complete the following requirements: (1) Participate in all seminars, complete assigned readings and class exercises, and report on selected readings in class (2) Prepare successive drafts of a one-page concept paper or draft proposal, and then from it create a full draft grant or fellowship proposal for thesis or dissertation research specifying the disciplinary, theoretical, literature review, topical, and geographical areas of interest for a specific funding source as required by the grantor. Two credits: In addition to (1) and (2) above, each student enrolled for two credits also will complete the following: (3) Prepare a second proposal or a critical evaluation of the theory and concepts in a field research report on an empirical research study from the literature. The critical evaluation should be on literature related to the student s research interest and geographic region in which the research will be conducted. Students will give an in-class presentation and submit a brief written critical evaluation or the completed second proposal Three Credits: Students wishing to enroll for three credits will complete the requirements (1) (3) above and: (4) Prepare a second draft funding proposal in support of the student s research.

3 Grade: The grades for the seminar will be based on the following measures. Deadlines for assignments will be announced during the seminar. Students enrolled for 1 credit: Concept paper (one-page) and preliminary literature review 30% Draft funding proposal 55 Students enrolled for 2 credits: Concept paper or Draft funding proposal #1 25% Draft funding proposal #2 45 Critical evaluation of a field research report 15 Students enrolled for 3 credits: Draft funding proposal #1 35% Draft funding proposal #2 35 (or special project by arrangement with instructor) Critical evaluation of a field research report 15 * * * * * Text: Norman Blaikie, Designing Social Research: The Logic of Application, Polity Press, Second Edition, 2009/2010, paper, ISBN: , On reserve in MSU Main Library or ca. $27 new or $19 used online. 3 (For students conducting quantitative data collection, we recommend Blaikie s Analyzing Quantitative Data: From Description to Explanation, 2003, ISBN: Also available online through MSU Library for logged-in users: A number of readings and accessory papers for the seminar will be provided gratis by the instructor. Introductory Module: Workshop on Proposal Writing for International Social Science Research ( ) 1 Introduction to workshop and seminar: purposes and agenda 2 Proposal strategies: understanding the proposal process in national competitions and maximizing your chances for success 3 Calendar for planning submission of proposal applications to support subsequent field research 4 Campus support for MSU graduate students planning to conduct international social science research: FLAS Fellowships; academic-unit support; Fulbright/IIE Fellowships; database of graduate student research interests; ISSR seminar 5 Non-MSU sources of funding for pre-dissertation and dissertation research: using MSU Library resources and the worldwide web (handout) 6 "How I developed a successful dissertation or pre-dissertation proposal" comments from successful graduate students 7 What makes a winning proposal? - comments of faculty who have served on fellowship review panels. 8 Steps in planning and writing a successful proposal

4 4 PART ONE: Concepts for a Proposal (beginning on Sep ) Module 1: Introduction to International Research and Research Design Designing research for an international scholarly career Planning your graduate program for international social science What is unique in research in an international setting? How does field work in developing nations differ from domestic field work Collaboration with local scholars and institutions Developing a research proposal: alternative strategies References to social science research methods Overview of the seminar and requirements Module 2: Searching for International Social Science Literature and Data (with the MSU specialist librarians) Strategies for searching for funding opportunities Library resources: local and remote What electronic resources are available for you at MSU? Bibliographic software: EndNote or Zotero Module 3: Theory for Foreign Area and International Research Variations in theory and concept in the disciplines Overview of current interdisciplinary approaches in the social sciences Postmodernism, cultural studies and critical theory Political economy, structuralist, and neo-marxian approaches Ecology and co-evolution World systems and globalization theory Feminism and standpoint theories Crossing disciplinary boundaries: issues and the dangers of naiveté Social science theory in the non-western world: Africa, Asia, Latin America, Middle East Levels: Interfacing global, national, regional, and local perspectives Changing paradigms in development studies Module 4: Defining a Researchable Problem How are research problems identified and defined in terms of being a relevant and manageable project? Linking theory, concept, issues, and problems Grounding research in the social science literature Situating your problem in the scholarly debate Incorporating indigenous issues and scholarship How do you craft your proposal around a set of key works? Strategies for obtaining funding for international research projects How are proposals read by selection committees?

5 5 PART TWO: DESIGN Module 5: International Field Research: Design Approaches Design issues for qualitative research Design issues for quantitative research Qualitative and quantitative approaches: How can they be combined in field research? Historiography and archival research Interdisciplinary team research Linking theory, practice, and policy Participatory research Impact assessment: environmental and social Policy studies Evaluation Research Group interviewing and focus groups Module 6: Drafting the Funding Proposal Characteristics of winning proposals Planning proposal for varied grantors and defining the elements Presenting the topic, a relevant research review, methodologies, and collaboration Form, language, and expression Reviewing successful and successful proposals Planning the pre-submission review process by colleagues and faculty PART THREE: PRAXIS Module 7: International Field Research: Ethical Issues Human-subjects research: review and clearances Relations with funding agencies and host institutions Obligations to interviewees and professional colleagues Publication agreements Ethical agreements and collaboration Module 8: International Field Research: Praxis Making contacts Collaboration with local scholars and institutions Local colleagues seeking collaborative reciprocity and future opportunities Obtaining research clearances Asking questions: interview schedules, questionnaires, focus groups, and more Translating and pre-testing research schedules and questionnaires Selecting, training, and supervising research assistants Special considerations in using focus groups DW: